The Pentagon kicked to the curb the commander of 821st Space Base Group on Thursday — apparently over a catty email she sent targeting Vice President JD Vance in the wake of his visit to America's northernmost military installation, Pituffik Space Base.
According to Military.com, Col. Susannah Meyers — who until Thursday oversaw Pituffik Space Base — made clear in a March 31 email to all personnel at the base, including those from Denmark and Greenland, that she is not aligned with the Trump administration.
Meyers, who assumed command of the 821st Space Base Group on July 18, 2024, reportedly wrote that she "spent the weekend thinking about Friday's visit — the actions taken, the words spoken, and how it must have affected each of you."
On March 28, Vance, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and President Donald Trump's national security adviser, Mike Waltz, visited Pituffik Space Base.
Vance addressed the troops, thanking them for their service; discussing the geostrategic importance of Greenland and the threats posed in the Arctic by China and Russia; and criticizing Denmark's apparent failures to both invest in the island and do "a good job by the people of Greenland."
"I do not presume to understand current politics, but what I do know is the concerns of the U.S. administration discussed by Vice President Vance on Friday are not reflective of Pituffik Space Base," wrote Meyers. "I commit that, for as long as I am lucky enough to lead this base, all of our flags will fly proudly — together."
It took less than two weeks for Meyers' luck to run out.
'Lloyd Austin isn't SecDef anymore.'
Space Operations Command said in a statement Thursday, "Colonel Susannah Meyers, commander of Pituffik Space Base, was removed from command by Colonel Kenneth Klock, commander of Space Base Delta 1, on April 10, 2025, for loss of confidence in her ability to lead."
"Commanders are expected to adhere to the highest standards of conduct, especially as it relates to remaining nonpartisan in the performance of their duties," continued the statement from Space Operations Command.
Citing the Military.com article, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell noted in a statement, "Actions to undermine the chain of command or to subvert President Trump's agenda will not be tolerated at the Department of Defense."
Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R) said in response to the news of Meyers' ouster, "President Trump is the Commander in Chief. Get on board with the mission, or get out."
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) lauded Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth "and his team for their quick action here."
"Colonel Meyers tried to politicize the Space Force and was held accountable," tweeted Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.). "Lloyd Austin isn't SecDef anymore."
Vance's press secretary, Taylor Van Kirk, told Military.com that the vice president was "grateful to visit Pituffik Space Base and for the opportunity to meet with our brave servicemen and women."
"President Trump has made his vision for an enhanced security footprint in the Arctic abundantly clear, and the vice president is committed to implementing the president's agenda," continued Van Kirk. "This includes strengthening the partnership and cooperation between the United States and Greenland, which is critical for both American national security and the safety of our partners worldwide."
Ahead of Meyers' ouster, Pentagon chief of staff Joe Kasper indicated that "civilian control of the military is a bedrock principle of our armed forces. Actions to undermine the chain of command or to subvert President Trump's agenda will not be tolerated at the Defense Department."
Space Operations Command stated that Col. Shawn Lee has assumed command in Meyers' place.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Legendary American astronaut Buzz Aldrin announced his endorsement in the 2024 presidential election — and leftists on social media are not taking it well.
"I believe we are best served by voting for @realDonaldTrump," Aldrin wrote in a lengthy statement on X on Wednesday morning. "I wholeheartedly endorse him for President of the United States."
Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin became a household name in July 1969 when he and fellow Apollo 11 crew member Neil Armstrong became the first men to walk on the moon. So it comes as no surprise that Aldrin endorsed Trump mainly because of the former president's interest in space defense and exploration.
"Over time, I have seen our government’s approach to space wax and wane. But under the first Trump Administration, I was impressed to see how human space exploration was elevated as a policy of high importance again," Aldrin said in his statement.
To support his claim, Aldrin noted that Trump founded Space Force and reinstituted the National Space Council. Key Trump allies in the private sector such as Elon Musk have likewise made "advancements" in space exploration technology, Aldrin added.
Aldrin met Trump in the Oval Office in 2019 to mark the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. While there, he lamented the recent reduction in funding for space programs.
'I did respect you, but you don’t respect any of the women in your life.'
In addition to discussing his concerns about space, Aldrin, 94, expressed concerns about the direction America is currently heading. He then indicated that Trump has the temperament and the "sober analysis" needed to withstand the "pressure" of the job "with firmness and follow-through."
"In times of uncertainty real leaders are most needed – to guide and inspire a people, to push through the noise, recognize what really matters, and accomplish missions critical to all citizens."
Aldrin did not make any reference to a political party or to Trump's opponent, Kamala Harris. Nevertheless, leftists on X railed against the beloved nonagenarian, claiming to have lost respect for him and his judgment.
"You just lost a fan. Donald Trump is a convicted felon traitor you back [sic]," wrote one disgruntled user who lists his manifold academic bona fides in his X bio.
"Such an unforced error. You know what it means to see the bigger picture, shame," another added.
Others claimed Aldrin was doing a disservice to women by voting for Trump.
""I have lost all respect I had for you. You should talk to the women in your life more," said one.
"Wow. I did respect you, but you don’t respect any of the women in your life. And with your own words, you state that the space program is more important to you than any women, their rights, their autonomy, or their ability to make decisions about their own body. Shameful," wrote another.
Some of those comments have dozens or even hundreds of likes.
With less than a week before Election Day, Trump currently holds a narrow national lead of just .4 and a lead in six of the seven battleground states, according to the RealClearPolling average.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
An artificial intelligence-backed "Battle Buddy" would process data and military doctrine and streamline the relay of communications when soldiers use it.
The product, EdgeRunner AI, is essentially a chatbot that will work with soldiers (or guardians for the Space Force) to provide information during missions or help the soldier more efficiently complete a task individually.
Interestingly, the EdgeRunner AI is not connected to a network and operates natively like a computer program. This is an obvious security benefit when working within a foreign theater of war.
'The AI Battle Buddy can significantly enhance the capabilities of space guardians by improving satellite control.'
The technology's real power seems to come from its application with Space Force; the company boasts about the military branch's support on its website.
CEO Tyler Saltsman told Blaze News that his technology can significantly enhance satellite control and data interpretation for the Space Force.
"In space combat, satellites play crucial roles in everything from surveillance to communication. The AI Battle Buddy can significantly enhance the capabilities of space guardians by improving satellite control and data interpretation," Saltsman said.
The CEO added that the AI could help determine the risk related to missile defense and intelligence using predictive insights.
On the ground, the AI can provide a plethora of data to soldiers or intelligence officers while operating offline. Saltsman explained that the technology enables voice-operated interfaces that interact with vehicles and/or weaponry to optimize the equipment for the user.
This would essentially integrate, possibly dangerously, AI with the entire functioning apparatus of on-the-ground military operations.
EdgeRunner shared a video with Blaze News that showed some of the program's capabilities in terms of information-gathering through satellites.
These capabilities included:
Missile targeting and risk assessment are used within militaries such as Israel's, which uses AI-targeting and similar programming to aggregate intelligence data, NPR reported.
Saltsman said that another technology is being researched that would detect weaponry, improvised explosive devices, and "other threats."
"These models are being enhanced to understand contextual information, such as recognizing and responding to specific motions. For example, a drone could be directed to follow a motion command. This represents the next level of intelligent vision systems we are working on."
The broader vision, as the CEO put it, is to integrate AI into the firmware of military systems and hardware. This would ensure EdgeRunner's place in the future of the U.S. military and possibly its allies.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
The effects of an electromagnetic pulse are far worse than most Americans can imagine, a leading space policy expert has warned.
With foreign adversaries like Russia and China officially classifying the EMPs outside of the purview of nuclear arms treaties, the infrastructure-shattering weapons could be used against Western nations with little to no direct casualties.
"Gen Z is gonna learn how to make a fire and sharpen spears."
Space policy expert and former Trump administration advisor Greg Autry told Blaze News that EMP technology and its effects have been known for over 50 years.
"EMP is an electronic, magnetic pulse weapon and it's usually initiated with a large nuclear blast, typically at high altitude outside the atmosphere in space," Autry explained. "You basically detonate a nuclear bomb, it ionizes or charges atoms in the atmosphere and it creates a large electrical field on the ground that can basically destroy all the electronics in a city or a wider area."
"We know this works because the Russians and the United States both actually detonated a lot of nuclear weapons in space in the early 1960s, particularly during the Cuban Missile Crisis to kind of show each other we could."
The disturbing history of the EMPs included testing the nuclear arms off the southwest coast of Hawaii. This caused measurable effects in Honolulu such as auroras in the sky and the disabling of portions of the electric grid and radio systems in the city.
The real worry for a modern society is our vast reliance on electronics, Autry warned.
"If somebody did one of these today, your phone would be a brick. Anybody with a pacemaker would drop dead, instantly. Every piece of your electronics... your laptop computer, your internet router, would be gone, and most of the relays in our power grid would be gone so there would be no power."
What makes the threat even more dire is the likely inability to replace some of the serviceable parts that would be destroyed during such an attack.
"Guess what?" Autry asked rhetorically. "The people most likely to have sent that EMP to us are the Chinese, and they're not sending you any more iPhones or letting anybody ship them. Guess what? They make all of our electrical transformers, or if they don't, they make the steel that's required to make the electrical transformers. There's only one U.S. company left that can make that steel," Autry continued.
Electrical vehicles could be turned into "fireballs" the space expert noted, while "every internal combustion car on the road is going to be dead because they're all run by computers and electronic ignition system."
"We are instantly transported into the Stone Age," Autry described before laughing that in his book "Red Moon Rising," he joked that "Gen Z is gonna learn how to make a fire and sharpen spears" without the help of a YouTuber.
"It's going to be a really bad day."
Your browser does not support the video tag.
"The thing that scares me more," Autry piled on, was the way America's enemies have avoided classifying EMPs in the same category as nukes.
"Both Russia and China have classified these weapons not as strategic nuclear weapons but as cyber weapons, and they've made it clear that they consider the use of them not to impinge upon any obligations they may have made, or any treaties involving nuclear weapons. They can just use these things as cyber tools."
Autry revealed that he sees previous cyber attacks from the aforementioned nations as possible acts of war, but he prefers to focus on solutions rather than pontificate about past occurrences.
The policy expert said that the "Space Force is not unaware" of the possibilities of an attack and that the government agency's job is to "develop defensive systems against such an attack" that would defend assets on the ground.
"We could do a lot better at the state level, and the federal law could help mandate that our critical infrastructure be protected from EMPs. It's not actually super hard to do. You need to put these things inside what we call a faraday cage, which is a metal box or or even a mesh box."
Faraday boxes exist commercially, and while somewhat pricy for larger units, companies like Defender Shield and SLNT have popped up to sell products for a few hundred dollars. Phone sleeves, laptop carriers, backpacks, and duffle bags that block magnetic waves and RFID signals are suggested for the average consumer.
Another concern of Autry's was the United States being dragged into a conflict by another nation using an EMP. Providing examples like Russia against Ukraine or China against Taiwan, Autry said the countries could act as if it wasn't a real attack on the population because there would be limited casualties.
One thing he was certain of is that both the state and the individual could stand to be a lot more prepared.
Your browser does not support the video tag.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Republican Govs. Greg Abbott of Texas and Ron DeSantis of Florida penned letters Friday condemning a proposal that would effectively allow the Democratic administration to wrest control over National Guard units away from governors across the country.
The Republican duo was late to the party when signaling opposition to U.S. Air Force's Legislative Proposal 480. The governors of 48 states and the leaders of five American territories voiced their opposition to LP480 last month in a letter to the Pentagon.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall approved the draft legislation on March 15. The Pentagon subsequently delivered LP480 to the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 29.
LP480 would enable the Secretary of the Air Force to transfer the covered space functions currently performed by the Air National Guard to the U.S. Space Force. The secretary would be enabled to change the status of an ANG unit to a unit of the USSF, to deactivate the unit, or to assign the unit to "a new Federal mission."
The proposed legislation also waives the requirement to first obtain a governor's consent prior to making such changes to a National Guard unit.
Kendall suggested to lawmakers that the legislation would not set a precedent that would enable other services to cannibalize elements of the National Guard without gubernatorial consent, reported Breaking Defense.
"This [issue] is an artifact of the creation of the Space Force," said Kendall. "It's a unique situation. There's absolutely no intention to make any other changes, moving things out of the Guard."
Following a House Armed Services Committee hearing last month on the USAF and USSF fiscal year 2025 budget requests, Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) reportedly said he was "fully supportive."
"I think that what the Air Force is suggesting is going to be successful," said Rogers. "We are used to the National Guard Association being a very political organization that deploys these kind of political activities. This is not one in which they should waste their time and this is not one in which they're going to be successful."
If every governor in the country has their way, then the National Guard Association will prove Rogers wrong.
Ret. Maj. Gen. Francis M. McGinn, head of the National Guard Association of the United States, noted in an April 16 op-ed that the proposal constituted "an existential threat to the National Guard."
"This move represents a significant federal overreach that should concern governors and federal lawmakers alike," wrote McGinn. "This is an attempt to bypass the longstanding authority Congress gave to governors requiring their consent before any National Guard units can be removed from their states."
Noting that the proposal states that the transfer of units "shall occur without regard to" two existing laws concerning gubernatorial authority, McGinn likened the legislation to "asking the government for permission to rob your neighbor by asking legislators to ignore laws against robbery. Such a ham-fisted approach is legally dubious at best and a breach of the established legislative process."
Kendall said in response that the "reaction from the Guard, quite frankly, has been over the top on this."
"We're not talking an existential threat. No one is suggesting dismantling the guard," he added.
The Air Force secretary evidently did a poor job of winning over skeptics.
Several weeks after Colorado's Democratic Gov. Jared Polis more or less told the Pentagon to keep its hands off the state's ANG units, and days after the Council of Governors wrote to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin with its objections, the governors of 48 states plus the five U.S. territories followed suit.
The National Governors Association noted in its late April letter to Secretary Austin that the proposed legislation "disregards gubernatorial authorities regarding the National Guard and undermines over 100 years of precedent as well as national security and military readiness."
Recognizing the importance of ensuring that the National Guard is equipped and ready to serve as the "operational combat reserve for national security mission and to support domestic emergencies," the governors stressed it is imperative that they "retain the authority laid out in United States Code (U.S.C.) Title 32, Section 104."
The governors' letter further noted that LP480 conflicts specifically with Section 18238 of Title 19, which "states that there should be no removal or withdrawal of a unit of the Air National Guard without consultation and approval from Governors. Additionally, section 104 of Title 32 states there is to be no change in the branch, organization or allotment of National Guard units within a state or territory without the approval of its Governor."
The governors indicated that the legislation would ultimately strain their relationship with the Pentagon; undermine governors' authority; adversely impact military readiness; and threaten the careers of state-based service members.
Abbott and DeSantis got in on the action Friday.
The Texas governor underscored in his Friday letter to President Joe Biden that LP480 would sideline governors as the commanders-in-chief of their respective National Guards.
After highlighting the crucial role the Texas National Guard plays in protecting Texans, addressing civil disturbances, and in responding to disasters, Abbott wrote that LP480 "poses an intolerable threat" to the service.
"Congress has long required the consent of a governor before units can be transferred out of the National Guard he commands. See 32 U.S.C. § 104; 10 U.S.C. § 18238. By departing from this sensible arrangement, and allowing the Secretaries to dismantle National Guard units on a whim, Legislative Proposal 480 would set a dangerous precedent," added Abbott.
In the X post accompanying his statement, Abbott wrote, "President Biden and his Admin. are making a power grab for the National Guard. They want to give the Secretaries unilateral authority to dismantle National Guard units on a whim."
DeSantis penned his condemnatory Friday letter to the Senate chairs and ranking members of the Senate and House Armed Services committees.
"As a low-lying, storm-prone state, Florida is uniquely vulnerable to hurricanes and flooding that require significant, operationally ready logistics and disaster support, including from our National Guard units," wrote DeSantis. "This legislative proposal weakens that guarantee and sidesteps the authority of the Governor to ensure Floridians are prepared and protected to address whatever domestic emergencies may arise, especially as we approach another hurricane season."
Extra to the governors, there has been bipartisan opposition to the scheme in both chambers of Congress.
Twenty-nine senators and 56 representatives have urged the leaders of the House and Senate Armed Service committees to keep the proposal out of the fiscal 2025 National defense Authorization Act, reported the Washington Examiner.
In their letter to their respective committees, the lawmakers called LP480 "deeply flawed" and noted that Congress "has a duty to maintain the integrity and longstanding tradition of the National Guard," adding that "a proposal of this magnitude threatens to under [sic] over 120 years of precedent."
According to The Hill, a White House official indicated the Biden administration supports the proposal.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Since Donald Trump’s return to office, legacy media have been quick to elevate the voices of disgruntled executive employees unhappy with the president’s efforts to deliver on the agenda the American people voted for in the 2024 election. So, it comes as no surprise that these same leftist acolytes are rushing to downplay a military […]
"Only 100 members of the military were deemed to be extremists out of a force of 2.1 million."
Much of Col. Bree Fram's lecture focused on claims included in his book, 'Forging Queer Leaders: How the LGBTQIA+ Community Creates Impact from Adversity.'
www.theblaze.com